75 years ago today, the British Royal Navy lost their only battleship to be sunk in the Second World War. Built in 1910, H.M.S. Barham saw action with the Royal Navy in both World Wars. Having been part of the Battle of Jutland in WWI, she now shepherded supply convoys during WWII. Sailing with a fleet in the Mediterranean off the coast of Egypt, the battleship H.M.S. Barham was identified by a German U-Boat on patrol, and suffered hits by three torpedoes. Within minutes her magazines, which contained tons of high explosive, exploded. 859 men went down with her. This was only British battleship which fell to the Germans during WWII. It is fitting that we remember all those who have fallen serving at sea on the anniversary of the sinking of H.M.S. Barham.
Friday 25 November 2016
Recollections of War: The Sinking of HMS Barham
75 years ago today, the British Royal Navy lost their only battleship to be sunk in the Second World War. Built in 1910, H.M.S. Barham saw action with the Royal Navy in both World Wars. Having been part of the Battle of Jutland in WWI, she now shepherded supply convoys during WWII. Sailing with a fleet in the Mediterranean off the coast of Egypt, the battleship H.M.S. Barham was identified by a German U-Boat on patrol, and suffered hits by three torpedoes. Within minutes her magazines, which contained tons of high explosive, exploded. 859 men went down with her. This was only British battleship which fell to the Germans during WWII. It is fitting that we remember all those who have fallen serving at sea on the anniversary of the sinking of H.M.S. Barham.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Wow, praise God for those brave men willing to sacrifice their lives in the defense of freedom. Do you know if there were any survivors from this particular catastrophe?
ReplyDeleteVery true, Gloria.
DeleteI read that there were 337 survivors who were rescued by ships close by.